Ricky Barnes showed signs of cracking under final-round pressure at Bethpage Black last night as he lost the outright lead of the US Open. Barnes had led the field by six shots early in his third round but ended it with a one-shot lead.

Then, as the players went straight back out to start their final rounds, errant drivingon the first saw him give that up, leaving him to go into today’s final holes level at seven under par with Lucas Glover and in thick rough on the second hole.

Barnes and Glover both shot level-par 70s in the third round, the former to stay at eight under par for 54 holes, one clear of his rival and five ahead of England's Ross Fisher and American former Open champion David Duval.

Both Fisher and Duval bogeyed their opening holes to fall level with Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan at two under but the lead stayed at five shots as play was suspended for the day due to bad light.

Ireland’s Graeme McDowell shot a 69 to move to level par and remained there through four holes of his final round.

Rory McIlroy, though, followed a two-over 72 to left him at four over with final-round birdies at his second and fifth holes to get to two over after 11.

After a week of heavy rains and numerous suspensions of play, the US Open now faces play on a Monday to complete 72 holes for the first time since 1983, with a resumption set for 9am local time (2pm Irish time).

Barnes had threatened to set more records after shooting the lowest 36-hole total in US Open history, 132, after a 65 on Saturday, holding a six-shot lead at 10-under-par at the turn of his third round and was going the right way about emulating 2003 Open champion Ben Curtis in making his maiden professional victory a major success.

The 28-year-old had been at 11-under-par after four holes, the first man in double digits at the US Open since Jim Furyk in the third round at Olympia Fields, en route to his 2003 victory.

Yet Barnes unravelled over the back nine to fall to eight under, with Glover also shooting a 70 to return the leaderboard to the status quo.

Fisher finished with a 10-foot birdie putt at 18 for a 69 to move to three under ahead of the final round, which saw playing in the penultimate group with Duval, who also closed with a birdie for a 70 to join him in a tie for third.

"It's still a new experience for me," Fisher said. "It's the US Open, it's a major.

"So any time you can put yourself into contention and turn around and look at that leaderboard and see your name there, you're doing something right.

"So fingers crossed, I can continue to do that for the rest of the evening and hopefully when we get back out there tomorrow and keep my name on that leaderboard, and who knows, try and climb up it a little bit higher."

That plan did not pan out as Fisher found right rough off the first tee, Duval veering left as both dropped a shot to slip to two under.

Canada's Mike Weir fell back to two under with a 74, where he was met coming the other way by American duo Mahan, with a 68, and world number two Mickelson, who delighted his big following of fans by sinking a 38-foot birdie putt at the 18th for a 69.

The Americans' status had not changed after playing two holes but Weir had dropped another shot with a bogey at the third.

Defending champion Tiger Woods began his day 11 shots behind Barnes's overnight lead and made up two shots with a 68.

"It's one of those where you have to play a great round of golf and get some help," Woods said, looking forward to his final round. "Obviously it's not totally in my control. Only thing I can control is whether I can play a good one or not."